Newly inspired to celebrate Solstice, I’ve been reading a few books — some just for me and some for the kids.
The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas
A detailed book, divided into sections — The Solstice Dream, Child of Wonder, The Green Bough, Old Sir Christmas, and Solstice Animals, with each chapter including ideas for modern-day rituals, songs, or practices you might want to try in your family.
While the book is heavily researched and detailed, I was surprised at how un-dense it felt. The author provides short paragraphs, building a pastiche of the traditions throughout time and place. Reading it informed me of the origin of many familiar traditions but also gave me a sense of how the winter holidays of Solstice and Christmas (and others) have become enmeshed over time. I came away with a sense of appreciation for the deep themes that the winter holidays share. I’m still reading, and am already compiling and gestating on ideas for rituals for next year.
Celebrating the Great Mother: A Handbook of Earth-Honoring Activities for Parents and Children
The book has two sections — Earth-Connected Parenting and The Festivals. To be honest, I skimmed through the first section, since much of it spoke of things I already knew or was doing. However, they did include a few nice practices for helping children connect with nature, and themselves (e.g., animal totems, edible weed walks, etc.). But I was really looking for specific information about the festivals.
Which brings us to the second part of the book! Each festival had its own chapter, and while there were not as many activities as I had expected, I appreciated those that were included (three per festival) and loved the perspective the book gives on seasons-based celebrations, beginning in the fall.
The Festivals
Mabon (Autumn Equinox)
Samhain (Day of the Dead)
Yule (Winter Solstice)
Imbolc (Stirring of the Seeds, early February)
Ostara (Spring Equinox)
Beltane (Flowering, May 1)
Litha (Summer Solstice)
Lughnasad (First Harvest/August 1)
The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
I was a bit disappointed in the kids’ solstice books we checked out from the library — many of them were so oversimplified and really played up the whole “back in the day ‘primitive’ people thought the world was ending every winter!” thing. But this one was palatable, and I appreciated the ideas for activities in the back of the book (bird feeders, yellow muffins). Includes illustrations and a description of how the earth’s tilt and rotation causes the seasons.
(Ones we didn’t like: The Winter Solstice and A Solstice Tree for Jenny)
The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice
Orlando and I especially enjoyed this book, with Orlando (age 8 ) eagerly insisting that I “Read the next story! Read the next one!” Mica (age 5) also liked it, though there was at least one story that was too intense for him.
The book consists of folktales from around the world that tell of how the world gained sunlight, or lost and then regained sunlight. The tales are grouped into three themes — The Theft, The Surrender, and The Grace — with each story having its own brief explanation/introduction (which I often didn’t read; I found that the stories spoke for themselves). The back of the book includes solstice songs, and rites and games.
I am just beginning this whole solstice-natural holiday jaunt, so I am sure I will be reading more. I have a few books on hold at the library, mostly for adults.
If you have any holiday/festival/seasonal books you love, either for kids or grown-ups, I would love to hear about them!
Happy Holidays to all!!
